Long standing Chinese relationship pays off as major shipping line announces Liverpool call

The Port of Liverpool has demonstrated the strength of its relationships with China by announcing it will welcome a vessel call from COSCO on Wednesday 17 October.

The MV Jork will call at Liverpool after a stop in Rotterdam before returning with UK exports. Once in Liverpool it will unload mainly high value Asian goods for fast delivery into the supply chain across the UK.

The Port of Liverpool boasts a consistent truck turnaround time of less than 40 minutes, unrivalled by its peers in the South – meaning cargo is expected to be at its final destination hours after discharge on the Mersey.

Peel Ports recently welcomed China Merchant Marine to Liverpool and will shortly receive another state-sponsored visit scheduled for October 23 with 20 delegates from the Department of Commerce, Jiangsu Province, set to explore the port.

The latest vessel call from COSCO, Asia’s largest shipping line, and third globally, marks an important milestone for Peel, who will look to evolve the trial on 17 October into a permanent call.

In the past twelve months The Port of Liverpool’s growth in the container sector has continued growing by 8.7 per cent.

The CPO Baltimore

Mark Whitworth, Chief Executive Officer of Peel Ports Group, said: “The arrival of the MV Jork at Liverpool is positive news for the Port and is down to the strategic, dedicated approach we’ve taken to the Asian market in recent years.

“Our relationship with China has been incredibly strong for a number of years now, and the faith shown by COSCO in the capabilities and infrastructure of Liverpool shows how global perceptions of the UK’s shipping ecosystem are starting to shift.

“With multimodal access by rail, sea and road to the majority of UK consumers, Liverpool2 is the logical port of call for global lines looking to move their customers stock in the most efficient way.”

Peel Ports already has a strong relationship with crane manufacturer ZPMC, the firm which supplied five ship-to-shore cranes and CRMGs for the £400m container terminal, Liverpool2.

A delegation from Peel Ports is currently in China to discuss phase two of the Liverpool2’s development as it continues to try to attract the world’s biggest shipping lines, whilst a senior commercial executive visit to Shanghai will commence on 5th November 2018.